Six Inches Of Snow
by Terra Tenshi
Summary: Kotaru muses on his powers on a snowy winter evening...at least until Tatsuki shows up to distract him. KotaruTatsuki, futurefic. Fifth in my Yaoi Advent Calendar '06! AU with the release of book 8.


Warning: Male/Male implication if you squint, and one kiss

**Six Inches Of Snow**

By: Hime-dono (aka Terra Tenshi)

Kotaru couldn't exactly say that he disliked knowing about his powers considering that they had saved his rather danger-prone life more than once. They'd also saved the lives of people he loved and for that alone he welcomed them even if they _had_ awakened too late to save his beloved grandfather. But what was done was done and spending all his time worrying about 'what ifs' would only depress him and this was not the time to be depressed.

In retrospect the only thing he really disliked about his powers was his inability to enjoy winter anymore. Because his were mainly oriented towars healing the first time after they'd fully awakened that he'd stepped outside he'd ended up passing out from fatigue. Yuuto and Tatsuki had brought him back inside and had called the school to make excuses. It turned out that his powers had instinctively tried to heal anything and everything that was dead anywhere around him, and given that it was winter and most of the plants were buried under six inches of snow that had been quite a lot of healing.

Since then he'd gained better control over his powers, he no longer passed out just from stepping outside in the snow and his powers didn't try to act without his permission anymore. Nonetheless the death of the season was always there, like a faint itch in the back of his mind and going outside just made it worse. So every winter he seemed doomed to spend his time sitting by one of the big picture windows and staring out at the winter wonderland that he used to love playing in with his beloved Tak-kun.

Maybe he was beginning to understand how Tatsuki felt, forced to stay locked away from something he loved because of his power. Then he felt guilty for even thinking that, after all when spring came the itch would be gone and he'd perfectly able to go outside again but Tatsuki could never take off his gloves.

"Kota." The voice was soft and came from behind and slightly to his left. He glanced back into the shadows with a faint smile. Another reason to be thankful for his abilities, he and Tatsuki had grown closer than they had ever been, even as children.

"Tak-kun." He replied softly, careful not to give his cousins location away to the rest of their family. Their parents' had been, surprised to say the least, when they had insisted on staying together at their grandfathers home even after their high school graduation. There had been more than a few arguments about it in the months before they'd started college, but in the end they'd gotten there way. Of course there was a price to pay for their freedom, now every holiday their home was invaded by all their relatives from both sides of the family. And of course from the minute the first knock came to the second the door closed for the last time on departing family Tatsuki hid himself away in shadows and dusty rooms so that he didn't have to deal with nagging to take of his gloves and sit and talk and be _sociable_. Which was naturally the most horrible torture that could ever been conceived.

After glancing around carefully to make sure that no relatives were waiting to pounce Tatsuki moved to sit by Kotaru who obediently shifted over to make room. They sat together in the cool quiet for a while, Kotaru's head on his cousin's shoulder, Tatsuki's head resting on top of his cousins. Slowly the house began to stir and Tatsuki tensed in preparation to flee into his solitude once more. Quickly Kotaru threaded his arm through Tatsuki's preventing him from moving away. Tatsuki half glared down at him in a manner that clearly screamed: 'let go'.

"Please?" Kotaru whispered softly and even though Tatsuki had softened towards him in the past few years he stayed stiff and glaring and for a minute Kotaru was afraid that he would leave anyway.

And then Tatsuki melted against him like butter left outside in the sun too long.

"Only if you protect me from them." He replied in the almost deadpan voice that signified Tatsuki making a joke. Kotaru smiled and leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss at the corner of Tak-kun's smiling mouth. Maybe that faint itch was worth it after all, especially when he ended up getting the best Christmas present he could ever hope for.

AN: Umm...yeah. I really don't have anything to say about this story except that it is random and was written because I wasn't really in the mood to write any of my other fandoms. So pleas R & R I guess and I'll see you tomorrow.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hands Off! Although I do own the first 7 volumes of it.

_**MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!**_


End file.
